Recipe Find: La Scala's trout back on the menu

Updated 12:01 am, Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Luckily for Carol Wolf, years ago a reader named A.P. was looking for the same recipe she now wants.

Wolf writes, “My husband and I used to go to La Scala on Northwest Military Highway for every special event. He ordered the trout every time.

“Since the restaurant has closed, I have searched for a recipe that is similar to the one that they served and have had no luck finding anything even close. It was a wine-based sauce that included artichoke hearts. Do you think you could find this recipe?

“Thank you!”

In 1996, we published the recipe for La Scala's Trout with Mushrooms and Artichokes in Pat Mozersky's Chefs' Secrets column. Mozersky credited the recipe to chef Maria Cervantes.

In her column, she noted that Cervantes used a light butter to sauté the fillets and gave directions on cooking fish: “The general rule for cooking fish, as established by the Canadian Fisheries Board (which ought to know!), is to cook it for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, so adjust the timing accordingly,” she wrote.

“(Remember, fine-textured fish like trout will take slightly less time than a dense-textured tuna or swordfish.)”

La Scala was at 2177 NW Military Highway before it closed. Fortunately, we had this recipe in our files, for once a restaurant has closed, we have no way of getting its recipes.

More Information

Recipe Find appears Sundays in Taste. If you are looking for a lost recipe or have a favorite recipe to share, let us hear from you. Email kharam@express-news.net or write Recipe Find, San Antonio Express-News, P.O. Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297-2171. Recipe requests will be answered in this column only; due to time limitations, no personal replies can be given.